Eriga Nu orbits a dark star, one that rarely radiates any kind of light. The planet is overseen personally by Commander Krauss. Most inmates do not last a year, humans rarely over a month. The veterans of the prison, however, can ease the work load if they are impressed by a newcomer. Prison bylaws allow ZD-2 guards to eradicate any prisoner at any time, without requesting permission. Any guard is subject to be terminated if suspected of assisting a prisoner survive beyond their own capable means, and/or assisting in the escape or sabotage of the prison itself. Such an occasion has yet to occur.

Also considered a HARD LABOR CAMP, exporting thousands of Minerals valuable for trade in the Unknown Regions.

Eriga Nu's location is known only to a select few ship captains. The Prison remains somewhat of a mystery to outsiders. Scuttlebutt, and word of mouth, has suggested this place is worse than Kessel. The low energy of the dark star masks most sensor sweeps, and unique technology nulls listening posts. Staff and high-level prisoners are found in the center lifted structure. The pillars provide guard towers and monitoring facilities. All pillars are armed with anti-atmospheric turrets and beam weaponry.

14 Hours Labor:
Groups Usually Made up of 150 Prisoners, required to produce 1.5 kilos of Ada'zx. This substance is extremely difficult to acquire. If a group finishes ahead of the 14 Hours, they are required to produce an extra .4 Kilos within 3 Hours. If successful, the group finishes for the day. Failure to meet time limit, and the entire group undergoes Tarradac Needle Therapy. In which, 2/3 of the subjects die.

Meal Times:

0100
0500
1200
1600

Water:
Refills every six hours, enough to serve 1.2 million. This is considered a way of population control. The fit survive, where the weak perish and their sentence is considered complete.

Body Remnants:
Bodies are cleared out once every 72 days. An average of 23,213.3 bodies are burned. Cannibalism has been known to take place. Especially among the Dakatarians.

Prisoners:
All prisoners have been subject to internal id tags and transmitter. Should they leave the atmosphere, without proper deactivation, their heads are wired to explode.

Religion:
A private sect has been granted. Currently Thirteen Priests serve the population.

Jonathan woke up in a dimly lit room, his eyes trying to adjust from his slumber. How long he was out, he wasn’t sure. But a quick peek out of a window of extremely thick transparisteel showed utter darkness, so it must have been night. At least it was something. He groaned, slowly pushing his legs off of the metal cot he was laying on to try and collect his barring, looking out of the purple-ish force field cell doors, pondering what seemed like hundreds, if not thousands of other cells, hearing barely audible cries as other prisoners thought of their fate, and moaning from people waking up from rest, one sounding like Romny on the other side of the wall next to him.
“Romny?” he whispered, trying to get his attention.

“That you, sir? Jonathan, sir?” Romny asked.

“Yeah, it’s me.” he replied, happy to hear a friendly voice--

“That you cap’?” Huey questioned as well, quickly hearing a sound off of other soldiers and officers checking in with Ferris. Ferris tried to peer as close as he could to the force field without touching it, trying to see what was on the outside of the walls, to try and see his crew’s faces. Ferris asked if anyone was injured or hurt.
“Got a headache from whatever they gave us,” Duncan, one of Huey’s men, coarsely and insubordinately replied, an attempt to lighten the situation no doubt, “Other than that I’m just peachy. When’s lunch?”

“Shut up, Duncan,” Huey hissed, trying to keep one of his men under wraps, then turned his attention back to the wall that separated him from Ferris, “Orders, Captain?”

“For one,” he began, “We need an attitude like Duncan’s. If we can show these Zimps we can take their punishment with smiles and laughs, we might die here, but we won't let them enjoy it.” Huey scoffed, but continued to listen. Everyone suddenly groaned and began to rub their necks, feeling a small bump, scar and a shot of pain. The Imperials had put something in them, and it wasn’t going to be good, he was sure about that, “Second: We need to stay strong and keep each other alive and--”

Everyone stayed silent as a strange, bipedal combat droid paced passed all of their cells, curiously staring at one, then moving onto the next as part of a patrol. But once it reached the last cell, belonging to Staff Sergeant Jelantos Kravhenn and deactivated his force field. He had looked at the droid curiously, and the entire crew of The Infinty could only sit in their cells and listen as Jelantos plead for his life, then a powerful noise erupted that echoed the entire area. Jelantos was dead, and he wasn’t going to be the last.
After the droid left, Ferris continued, still pained at losing a fine officer with such a colorful career with the Republic Navy in an instant.
“We…we need to survive for as long as we can. Help will come, I can’t guaranty it, but I have faith that it will come. In what form? I don’t know. But we need to grasp that thought instead of--”

“Dropping the soap, sir?” Clyde, another one of Huey’s soldiers asked.

“That’s what we want to avoid.” Gavin spoke up. He had kept quiet, possibly still under the influence of the drugs the Imperials had given them all, or collecting his thoughts.

“I’m sorry, Admiral,” Ferris apologized, “You should be the one talking. Not me.”

“Very well, now let’s come up with a plan…”

Tag: Alex, Vader, Cray, L.E.N., Orion

Eriga Nu

Faith

_________________Senior Captain, Jonathan Ferris of the New Republic
Commands the Keldabe-class Battleship, Infinity
Though it's outdated, it's still has enough armor to stand up to Modern Firepower.

Last edited by Jonathan Ferris on Sun, July 18th 2010 04:42am; edited 2 times in total

His heart raced as Joshua ran down the dark hallway with long, tilted paintings on each side. Joshua did not dare look back, he knew he was being chased. He could also hear the creature’s breathing as it got louder and louder. Joshua tried not to pay attention, he tried to focus on running in the seamlessly endless hallway. With every breath left in his body Joshua sprinted towards a nearby door. Joshua slammed into it and quickly turned the knob.

“NO!” Joshua yelled at the shocking reveal that it was locked.

Joshua glanced at the creature running towards him, it was a Dire-cat, a carnivorous feline that had spike’s coming out of his back and shoulder blades. Joshua repeatedly rammed into door trying to knock it down, trying desperately to knock it down. Joshua abandoned his efforts as the creature hissed and jumped in front of him.

Joshua slowly turned his body to face the Dire-cat as the creature circled around him, it’s glaring red eyes focused on him ready to make the kill.

Joshua knew that the Dire-cat would pounce on him if he kept playing this waiting game. Joshua quickly turned and ran back the way he came, with the Dire-cat relentlessly giving chase.
Joshua’s heart leapt with joy at the sight of another door at the end of the hall, for sure that it wasn’t locked he sprinted as fast could towards it. Joshua turned the knob,

“Yes!” exclaimed Joshua, the reveal of unlocked door swelling in him.

As he opened the door Joshua’s cheers of joy turned into screams of horror at the sight of another Dire-cat. The Dire-cat roared and pounced on Joshua

“GAAAAHHH!” Joshua screamed, in his dream, creating a brief gasp as he awoke.

“I know your scared of dying here, Joshua.” said Jonathan, on the other side of one of his cell walls, “But we‘ll get out of here.”

Joshua looked at the prison cell around him, trying to pull himself into the real world.

Joshua shook his head rubbed his eyes and said, “Sorry, nightmare.”

“Oh, then wake up.” said Jonathan Ferris as the purple force field doors vanished and everyone was rounded up for work.

Tag: Orion, Alex, Vader, Cray, Orrion Carn

Eriga Nu

Faith

Last edited by Joshua Holloway on Mon, July 19th 2010 03:33am; edited 2 times in total

Huey worked with surprising ease as he used his vibro-pickaxe to smash the rocks around him to pebbles, most of the crew were the same way, including Ferris. But Joshua was falling behind, having not seen real combat besides trying to repel the boarders. The thing that troubled Huey was that they had only started an hour ago, and he wondered how everyone would be at the end of the fourteen hour shift. The entire crew was here, the guards gathering from every section of the dark prison to watch the Republic officers and soldiers dig among the floodlights.

This planet was in a rare type of system, a dark star at it’s core. Casting no light besides the occasional, if not infrequent strings of gray. Everyone was given a chrono to painfully watch the object tick menacingly and tauntingly. Huey didn’t care, he was just happy he didn’t give up on exercising during the last ten years, same with the rest of the Omegas. Aside from Joshua.

Eight hours in.

Had time really flown by that fast? Huey was amazed, they had made great time with the rest of the prisoners, collecting the 1.5 kilos of useless Ada'zx that had been requested, despite the protests of the other prisoners to slow down. Huey didn’t get it, they were suppose to collect the minerals before their fourteen hour limit passed, why slow down?
They all quivered as they heard a sinister sounding man speak, “On behalf of Commander Selena Krauss, as you know is still in the Bilbringi system tying up loose ends. I, Admiral Harrison, congrat you all on your performance.”

Huey sighed, but was confused when the stormies didn’t open the doors to let the prisoners back in.
“As per Krauss’ order,” Harrison continued, “Should a work group collect it’s One-point-Five kilo quota before the fourteen hour time span, they must collect another Zero-point-Three within three hours. If you succeed, you will be released back into the prison,” Huey knew that the other end of the spectrum was a far grimmer punishment, he knew for a fact, “I regret to inform you, that under Krauss’ order as well, if you fail, you will experience pain beyond comprehension. But we must follow our guidelines here, even if it kills some of our scum.”

Huey scoffed, then quickly got back to work with the others as their time began…

Shen had worked as hard as he could with Janice and the others, their bodies breaking from their futile efforts. They had only gathered 0.2.5 kilos of the material Harrison had requested when their time expired. The dreadful siren sounding and ringing in his ears as they all stopped and froze. They failed, and they were going to feel pain beyond comprehension. He and Janice caught a glance at each other, they hadn’t seen or were able to speak to each other with the guards constantly watching over them.
Zimps filed into the work area, grabbing and herding all of the prisoners into formation as they led them back into the prison, and to where their pain would begin.

They were all forcefully strapped into medical-beds in a large room, blood on some of them. He and Janice were next to each other as their arms and legs were strapped with leather belts of an unknown, but possibly abundant animal. They were tightened taught along with three more across his chest, so much so he could barely move any part on his body a micro-millimeter and he couldn’t hardly take a breathe.
He peered over to Janice, she seemed brave as with the rest of the crews, but also like them, fear marked her eyes. It was the same for Shen as well.
There was an observation room that faced all the participants, where Admiral Harrison and several other high ranking officers stood, including a holographic woman who was suppose to be Commander Krauss. Harrison motioned to Krauss with a nod. She returned the gesture, then said, “Begin the Tarradac Needle Therapy.”

He looked as several doctors dispersed throughout the area of the room, one standing next to each prisoner. They each held a briefcase of sorts, pulling out one of many syringes and hovered it over each of their chests. On the order the Krauss, they used a small knife and cut open small areas of their clothing, and on another order they slowly and menacingly placed the tips of the needles into their skins…

Joshua screamed in pain along with the other members of the crew as their torturers, as Joshua called them, sank their needles into everyone’s side, whatever was inside of those needles was eating Joshua from the inside. Joshua hopelessly threw himself in pain, trying to break free from the bed he was strapped on. Joshua looked up at his torturer in hate as the torturer looked back at him with satisfaction. Joshua wanted to rebuke the monster before him for bringing hell upon him. Joshua finally sucked up his pain trying not to scream, taking away his torturer’s entertainment. The torturer leaned in closer to Joshua’s face expecting him to scream again. Instead Joshua let out a cry of laughter, giving this monster displeasure. The pain continued inside of Joshua as the monster left to continue his work on another pour soul. Joshua did whatever he could to blot out his pain, but at the moment he seemed to have succeeded the pain came back much harder and more painful than before.

Joshua looked up into the blinding lights and thought, Is this my fate? Too die in hell and be sent right back? Alone, nobody to miss me, nobody to care? Would it be easier to just give up? Too let the poison over take me and destroy my body?

“Smile,” a weak voice said to Joshua‘s left.

Joshua turned his head to the side to see who was talking to him.
It was a woman, she seemed to be the same age as Joshua.
She was smiling, despite the pain within her and the tears running down her cheeks.

In a weak voice Joshua replied, “Why?”

“You want them to win?” she replied.
Joshua painfully shook his head in disagreement.

“Then do what the captain said, take the punishment with smiles. Don’t let them revel in our pain.” she grimaced, another needle entering both of her arms, as with everyone else. She forced a smile, enduring the pain.

Pain shot through Joshua’s own arm, filling them and the rest of his body quickly with a pain he couldn’t exactly explain. But he tried to force a smile, creating a cocky smirk. The rest quickly became a blur, he was still awake, but he was willfully trying to forget it…

The pain was hard enough to endure, let alone stay conscious with. Jonathan had blacked out half-way into the procedure, how he was still alive and not like the ninety prisoners and soldiers that had died during the treatment, he didn’t know. What he did know is the survivors were just a few of the stronger prisoners and the fifty-three of what remained of the Infinity and the Trucemaker: The Omegas with Huey and his squad, Gavin and four of his officers and then Jonathan himself were among the survivors.
He had told these men, women and fellow beings to endure the pain, punishment and torture with smiles, when he couldn’t even stay awake. It felt like he had made a hollow order, he couldn’t even follow the order.
They were all back in their cells, carefully peering at the needle marks in their skin, still wincing at the pain that still faintly burned in them. It had felt like the lavas of Mustafar had been imported and placed in those tiny needles, just to be placed inside whoever couldn’t perform or outperform.
Ferris rubbed his arm, curiously feeling it to try and rub what pain remained away while he thought, Will rescue come?

He shook his head, he had to keep the faith he had implanted in the crews. He tried to imagine what Huey was going through right now, he was a good friend, sent away from his wife and child to rejoin Ferris’ crew only to get captured after the first engagement.
The surprise of Zend returning was mind-boggling, he almost fell back into the chair in his office after he and the rest of the senior staff had heard the message the witch had sent to the galaxy, then a mere half-hour later, Bilbringi happened.
It was likely part of a larger offensive, and he wondered if any location in the galaxy remained in The New Republic’s gentle hands with how ferocious Zend’s Empire had been…

Tag: Alex, L.E.N.

Eriga Nu

Faith

_________________Senior Captain, Jonathan Ferris of the New Republic
Commands the Keldabe-class Battleship, Infinity
Though it's outdated, it's still has enough armor to stand up to Modern Firepower.

Day Seven, Garza pondered, Or was it…Ten? Three? Frak. He had been here too long, the work had started to take a toll on his body, and things he gradually lost the Faith Captain Ferris had had them believe in to keep their spirits up. Sure, Clyde and Duncan were doing a good job at that with their joke and insubordinate behavior. Clyde got in a fight with a pair of Zormies, but because of their value as the first Prisoners of War to The Empire, all they could do was kick Clyde in the stomach, Duncan too for sticking up for his closest friend. Nora had been the quietest of everyone, using her training as a medic to check up on everyone POW and N-POW alike, and make sure they weren‘t badly injured and give minor treatment with what she could muster.

Joshua was probably the most depressed. His first action outside of the holo-training and drills lead him to be captured and on a deathlist. The droids that patrolled the prison and killed at their will and boredom became more frequent, whenever someone heard the treads of the droids approach everyone straightened up and acted normal, most of the time they just continued on, but The Infinity and Trucemaker crews were slowly dwindling.

“You.” Huey heard, looking up from the slump he was in to see a ZIMP Army Captain, maroon haired woman pointing into his cell, being shared with Shen Velez. “Come with me.”

The purple forcefield deactivated and a pair of Zorm Troopers came in and past Garza, grabbing the young man by his arms and dragging him out. Huey, like anyone else, in a normal situation would have retaliated and started a breakout. But not only was he not able to muster the strength, it would have gotten Shen, himself and anyone they think were linked to the attempt killed. Three people died a day or so ago in such an attempt, not even able to get their captured blasters to arms before Zorm Troopers had come in from all around and gunned them down.

The forcefield reactivated and Shen, the Army Captain and the Zorm Troopers had left. Huey felt pained that he wouldn’t see the man again, being killed because Huey didn’t man up out of fear of his own life…

Tag: L.E.N.

Eriga Nu

Faith

Last edited by Huey Garza on Fri, September 17th 2010 02:19am; edited 1 time in total

Sirens blared throughout the ship as Jonas frantically scrambled to bring the Dusty Moon back up to par. He shifted his weight, throwing himself on the floor to rip and tear compartments to access wires in order to transfer power or reboot entire systems. It didn't matter, the ship was going into the atmosphere, full throttle. He could only slow the descent now and just as the panic was beginning to settle into his bones, a beautiful sound. It was melody beyond anything he had ever heard before, forcing him into submission. He was able to rise, taking the seat that had once belonged to the ship's captain, Boots. He stared out of the viewports, watching as beautiful creatures flew by his ship, sources to the sound.

Jonas felt his eyes swell, spilling the emotion onto his cheeks as he listened to them. It didn't matter, nothing mattered now.

The Dusty Moon buckled under the impact and by sheer luck did Jonas survive, having been thrown under a nearby console that had protected him against the crunch. He tried to open his eyes only there was nothing, but darkness. He called out, silence. He waited for hours, his ears and eyes only catching sparks from damaged consoles. He drifted in and out of consciousness.

True Imperial Shuttle - - Present

The blue realm of hyperspace disappeared, they came out and into an asteroid field. Rylii was fiddling with the controls when he shouted, "FRAK!" That was enough to jolt Jonas out of his daydream. "We came out of hyperspace, just no where friendly."

"Where are we Kuat?" Jonas tried to see the navigational computer.

"Bilbringi." Rylii Kuat answered, "And by the looks of it, the hub of the True Empire."

"Shit." Jonas let out, his breath completely gone. "Get us out of here... and fast."

"I'm trying! But this thing is locked into some kind of autopilot... it must have some kind of feature.... like an anti-theft device."

"Gods, how could we be so stupid." Jonas shook his head, "You may have just gotten us killed!"

"Jonas, we were going to die any ways. Just hold on a second."

Rylii tried to come up with a plan, tried to penetrate the shuttle's defenses, but the fact was, he wasn't Coral or Alisson. Within minutes, a squad of TIE fighters had caught them, ripped through their shields and were now escorting them to the command center.

"Jonas I didn't mean for this to happen, you have to believe me." Rylii was looking flushed, in a way Jonas had never seen him before. Generally the man was collected, calm perhaps even distant, but never this terrified. "I abandoned my master, I left her, and now we do not have the same securities...We could be tortured, killed, sent to some kind of prisoner camp...."

"What do you mean? We are to surrender? Just endure whatever waits for us on that station?!"

"No." Rylii said, reaching for the blaster, "Shoot me. Kill me right here. Right now!" Rylii put the blaster in his hands, transferring it over to Jonas. The hilt was cold as Jonas brought it forward. Everything in him was telling, no, screaming for him to pull the trigger.

Iego - - 1 year Ago

"Hello???" Came a voice, "Anyone alive in here?!"

Jonas was trapped beneath the console, he felt claustrophobic now more than ever in his entire life, so he screamed. "YES! I'M ALIVE. I'M HERE."

"All right, son, we're coming for you. Hang in there."

And for three agonizing hours, he waited for them to hack, drill and cut away the ship he had loved and spent the better part of his youth growing up on. He listened and watched as they destroyed everything that had meant something to Boots- the man had taken him in after his father mercilessly beat him enough times to drive him away. Jonas had never forgotten the kindness Boots had shown him. And now, it was all gone. The last memory of this man, destroyed.

He was relocated to the city of the survivors, taking residence with an older woman. He would help her collect resources, food, water, or random supplies for her place. He would defend the city from the demons and watch from the cliffs as the angels sang and brought dozens of ships to their demise.

Iego had become hell.

True Imperial Shuttle - - Present

Rylii Kuat was sitting on the other side of the blaster when Jonas came around. He tossed the blaster aside, "No, you're going to live through this damn it."

"Jonas, you have no idea-"

"I do have an idea. There are better things in this galaxy that'll make this experience worth it, even for the odd chance they will rescue us....and they will."

Kuat returned to his station, his mind drifting. "I doubt it."

Jonas looked up, watching as they were swallowed by a shipyard's hangar. He could see legions of stormtroopers and True Empire battledroids marching. "He will. He owes me one."

Iego - - 5 Months Ago

Jonas was polishing the handle of his speeder bike when he decided to go inside for a shower. He was standing there, letting the orbs of water fall across his body when the older woman called to him. "Jonas," she had said "Jonas, your droid is flashing." Her name was Aola, the woman had helped Jonas move past Boots and discover that he was not only a surviving memory of the man, but one of his greatest accomplishments. His heart had shifted from anger and depression to happiness and serenity.

Moments later, Jonas was speeding across the plains of Iego. It was then that he had met the angel, later a friend, Firi, who had saved the lives of Tseneca Lowry-Fink and the most important thing in his life, Lucas Pallanén-Davad.

In this, Jonas recognized everything terrible had happened for this precise moment. Jonas remembered the way he said his name. "Lucas Pallanén-Davad of Kuat." For once, Iego held some beauty. It was like entering hyperspace for the first time, the thrill of the jump to lightspeed.

Bilbringi - - Present

Jonas hit the ground as the droids had forced them out of the shuttle. A human commander was shouting into Kuat's ear, the boy was muttering something which had earned him a smack across the face. Jonas kept his eyes forward, trying to put himself back with Lucas. He would try and forget everything.

Kau Kau Galleria, Kuat- - 5 Months Ago

It was in the middle of the gaming simulation when Jonas realized his attraction to Lucas had grown into a full body desire. The boy was sexy when he was in action, serving against the opponents with flair and skill that he had not seen in any one else. Playing the game was half the fun, but the shopping experience afterwards was quite enjoyable. Jonas had never been privy to luxury before, but when Lucas was able to foot the bill without blinking an eye, Jonas could see the cool allure the Kuati had over him.

"That rocks," Jonas had said, recalling his tone. All of their tones were so much more innocent back then, lacking the trauma events would later serve them. This day on Kuat had been one his favorites, as he was completely immersed in Lucas's life. He was able to see where he grew up, what his father and mother were like, while entertaining the idea that maybe, if he was lucky, he'd be apart of that.

Bilbringi - - Present

The hangar was cold, because its exposure to space whenever the forcefields would drop to allow a new vessel to land. Rylii and Jonas were against a wall, tied up as a lieutenant took turns punching in their stomachs, demanding why and where they had come from. Why they had one of the shuttles assigned to Bespin and where they had planned to jump to once they collected Bilbringi's tactical information. But the true horror was yet to come, Jonas recognized her from Bakura and Bespin's transmissions. Commander Selena Krauss.

Her hair bounced up and down slightly, though she looked like hell. Her face was bloody, her uniform burned and dirty. "Kuat, it seems fortune continues to surprise me. Where is my Corellian?"

The boy looked up, Jonas not surprised at all the two had known each other. He was a two-timing snake. " I'm here on behalf of Lumiya, she will wish to speak to you when the time is right."

"You're lying." The Commnder hissed. "Though we will see just how much your double-crossing Lady loves you."

Commander Krauss only took one look in Eisley's direction, before saying, "Process them. Eriga Nu." Without another word, she walked passed, and disappeared.

Rylii looked over, but Jonas only slipped back into his memories. It didn't matter where his body went.

Aboard the Blight Leaper- - 3 Months Ago

Sara laughed, filling Jonas with excitement as he finished the joke. He had always liked her, just not in the way she had originally assumed. Lucas and Tseneca were fighting, not exactly unusual for this time frame, but Jonas enjoyed this memory because of Sara's presence. She was innocent, good-hearted. The two laughed for almost an hour, before Lucas stormed through and locked himself into the showers. Jonas excused himself, and pursued the Kuati.

He would hold Lucas for almost an hour, absorbing whatever negativity he could, before he'd actually open up and talk about it. And Jonas loved to listen, because despite his attempt to appear perfect, Lucas was flawed.

Imperial Shuttle - - Present

They were bound and gagged after they had received an injection of somekind of drug. Jonas came around, blinking away the darkness so his eyes could absorb the light. He looked around, it seemed he was in a room with five other prisoners, Kuat recognized in the blurred vision, by the bright color of his blonde hair. One of the officers was talking about Bespin and how much he wanted to have been there, to capture the images on the Republic Senator's face as his precious Cloud City was crushed by the gas giant.

Jonas closed his eyes.

Bespin - 1 Day Ago

They were standing on the balcony of their suite, the stars were bright. "To think, out of all the stars, of all the trillions of people, we found each other." Lucas said, bending down to kiss his hand.

"Yeah," Jonas could still feel the alcohol coursing through his system, they had snuck away from the casino games to get a wild round of sex in, but something called the Jedi to the balcony after their shower. "I'm just glad we crashed on the same planet."

Lucas laughed, "...and survived a Sarlacc."

"Or the walking dead."

"Two invasions."

"Vera Nico."

"Drekka the Hutt..."

"The list goes on and on, no matter what, I'll come looking for you." Lucas said, "to the farthest star....."

Jonas laughed, grabbing his arm. "I'll hold you to that."

"I promise. I owe you one."

"You? You owe ME one?"

"I'll explain sometime." Lucas said, disappearing back into the bedroom. Jonas looked up, the stars held everything for them. Where would they go next?

Processing Center - Eriga Nu - Territory of the True Empire

"Name?"

"Jonas Eisley."

Beneath his skin a remote was planted while a code was burned onto his arm. It was a number. He felt his memories, holding them closer than ever before. He heard the screams, the shouts and distant blast from a droid's side arm. Rylii stepped close. "Remember who you are, Jonas, because I have a feeling we will forget. We will forget everything."

Jonas stripped off his clothes like the rest of the prisoners, they were given prison rations and by the look and smells, they were lucky if they were second hand. The cells were lined into small cubbies, barely enough room to lay flat. They were stacked like a beehive, with thousands of coves on one side. Dozens of droids walked the line, each section had forcefields to prevent any one section from storming and taking a droid's weaponry.

But judging by their bodies, weak and frail, they wouldn't stand a chance. Rylii was sent to a different district, they hugged one last time, even though Jonas hated him. The droid continued to march him across the rows of alcoves, until they reached section 32. "You will have five hours rest, before beginning your rotation... You are assigned to group 413-A. Additional instructions will be provided."

Jonas climbed a metallic latter, the many honeycomb styled alcoves he passed had men and women of all different ages, from many races he didn't even recognize. Some of the humans looked dirty, exhausted, and completely skeleton. As he found the vacant alcove, he overlooked his new residence, a sentence he had not deserved.

He was staring at a scrawny man, perhaps not five years older than himself. His face was pale, his skin outlined with bones and was considerably filthy. Jonas waved at the man, who waved back sheepishly. Jonas went back to work, mining whatever it was the True Empire wanted. He wasn't exactly sure how long he had been on this planet, this hell, but maybe it didn't matter. He had grown accustomed to the lifestyle, the days work of tediously planning the amount of minerals they were to collect. If they achieved the quota and half, they were given a day off. For about a week, his group had hit the jackpot, using a giant rock of the rare mineral to give them a day off here and there.

He was able to use his time to scrounge up extra food and water, something that was extremely dangerous to acquire. Growing up on Nal Hutta seemed like paradise compared to this place, and his travels with Boots and the Blight Leaper had seemed like a different life. Here, food couldn't exactly be stolen, but you might have to kill for it. The droids kept order only when massive riots broke out, usually they would line up a good hundred souls, most of them alien, and shoot them point blank one by one.

Friends were irrelevant here, at least, until he meant Cade. He was born in the True Empire, but his parents had been caught stealing from Zend's treasury, so his entire family had been sentenced to death. The two had bonded quickly, even sharing a catacomb together. The company was nice and Jonas would spend hours every night telling him about the "Old Galaxy". The two were eventually assigned to the same group, allowing their days off to be spent scavenging food together.

They had finally made the quota, just minutes before the deadline. They would save their rock for another day.

Today was nothing special, the weather was never considered a variable, instead a constant period of drizzle for 19 hours, then 12 hours of overcast. Not once had the sun, if there was even a sun in this system, or even a star peaked through the clouds. Cade brought a small canteen over, his face wide with a smile. "I filled it all the up today!" Jonas grinned. While water was more plentiful, this type of water had a special kind of algae, it reminded him of Corellian Blue Tea.

"Lucky day!" Jonas breathed into his hands, attempting to warm them up from the cold. They entered the catacombs, using the ladder to climb to their level. It had taken a few weeks to get a spot that wasn't activetly monitored by the droid security. It allotted them some privacy where they could divvy up their spoils and talk.

"I think I want to hear more about Coruscant." Cade said, his green eyes rotated slightly to pick up a loaf of bread.

"Again?"

"Or Rancors. We had some imported, but they died about a decade ago." Cade said, "Most of the troopers, at least those old enough, talk about them."

Cloud City was one of the most serene places in the galaxy, only, it wasn't any more. It was his presence on a place that had been destroyed by the True Empire that made him realize he was dreaming. Still, he tried not to stir his conscious mind too much, instead reveling in the presence of his once love, Lucas Pallanén-Davad. The two had been so strong, yet, something had come between them. Rylii Kuat and Valexxia, forces of the carnal embodiment of evil, minions of the Lady of the Sith. They had destroyed his love, and probably, the only one of its kind he'd experience in his lifetime.

A Cloud car sped past the window, the silent hum just barely audible through the cracked glass. The suite was supposed to be perfect, yet there it was, a small imperfection in an otherwise pristine room. He welcomed the flaw, even as small as it was. "Jonas?" Lucas was dripping wet with only a towel covering his mid-half.

"Lucas?" Jonas answered playfully, but didn't move from the window.

"Did you leave and come back?"

Jonas said no, but he really had. Valexxia had him, she had used her mind tricks so it was impossible to tell the truth, no matter how much he really wanted to. Lucas shrugged and disappeared back into the fresher. Jonas breathed. He could feel the vibrations in his body as he struggled to tell the truth.

When he awoke to the dark cubby hole of Eriga Nu, the dream reminded him of his past worries. They seemed so trivial, so distant, yet they were more powerful than those present on this Imperial prisonworld hell. He forgot how to care, how to feel angry, sad or remorseful. It was like the Imperials stripped him of his emotions. Cade was gone, Jonas could feel the absence of his warmth on his back. He pulled a shirt stolen from a dead corpse. It reeked so long ago, but now, he barely noticed it.

His cubby blinked red and he realized he had overslept, leaving him only three minutes to get to his check-in.

On any day, he would run. He would run and pray the droids were just one minute late. But they never were.

Three minutes later, the entire cubby turned bright red. It was only a matter of time now. The droids would descend and he'd be lined up and shot in the food distribution district. But that didn't matter, he was a boy with nothing left.

A hover droid emerged its claws wrapped around his foot and tugged him out, but it didn't have to try too hard because he didn't struggle. As the droid ascended a voice called out, "JONAS, JONAS!"

"Good bye Cade." Jonas said, and closed his eyes. Back to Bespin. Back to memories of Lucas. The Blight Leaper. Anything, but here..

Rylii had been better off than the rest of the unlucky souls left to rot and die on Eriga Nu. It seemed the prisoner war camp claimed nearly a thousand lives every day, but most of them were alien species. Rylii was selected to be an Imperial servant to the planet's commander, who by his good fortune, happened to be at one time part of a royal family in the Core. It gave them a connection to the "Old Galaxy", her second cousin directly related to Kuat of Kuat. The Commander was older now than when she first joined Zend's warlord camp, but spent most of her youth and all of her middle age in the True Empire. Some believe she was considerably popular among both the original True Imps and the descendants that Grand Admiral Zend placed her on Eriga Nu, instead of a rank inside the invasion force.

Rylii did not mind the woman, who went by Commander Celean Darrs. From a male's perspective, she was attractive. She was smart, though she lacked a heart or feelings for that matter. When Rylii would stare into her eyes, it was often that he would only find himself staring back. For two weeks he believed Zend had Darrs killed and placed a Human Replica Droid, or perhaps, a clone in her place to reside here on Eriga Nu. In fact, he had never really ruled that theory out, but it had come from another servant, one that had been a victim of the psychological damage in the mines. The only use had been her voice of song, which put the Commander to bed nearly every night. Otherwise the mad servant would have been executed.

The other nights, Rylii had bedded her. He was forced to make love, even call her things like sweetheart and my love. His duties outside of the bedroom chambers were undefined, aside from maintaining peek physical performance. He would spend his nights off, or when he was finished with the planetary commander, reading some of the vague history of the True Empire. They conquered a lot by the looks of it. But those kinds of reports were hard to come by, so he would spend time talking to some of the older kitchen servants.

They were mostly restricted by their fear, but one talked openly enough if he charmed her just right. Rylii, however, was most desperately seeking information about escaping Eriga Nu. No one had successfully done it before, at least, not yet. The amount of time he was spending with Darr was more than anyone previously. Most of her chamberboys would be killed three to five days after she grew bored with them, but something about him, kept her interested.

The day finally came when execution orders were being signed. Rylii was laying in the bed, breathing hard from the night's work, still nude, but draped by the sheets. The Commander was signing the execution orders for the POWs when a familiar face emerged on the list. Jonas Eisley.

"That's a shame." Rylii said, looking at the report, "I knew the guy."

"Pity, pity. He didn't report for his duty. So off he goes." She laughed, "Off off off!"

"It's a pity, because he was a known suitor from Hapes. Apparently, the nobles back home couldn't get enough of him..."

The station commander looked at him, then back to the image of Jonas. She scribbled something into the pad and said, "Have him restored to prime condition, and put him in charge of cleaning the freshers on the lower levels." She smiled, "Now get back to work, my little taun taun."

Rylii smiled, but not because the fiend was demanding more, but because he had just saved his friend's life.

The officer's complex of Eriga Nu was a different life than the one he had on the surface. The tedious and long hours of mining had been replaced with cleaning supplies a small three-hour work day. The rest of his time had been spent eating and exercising, as apparently, they wanted him restored to peak physical prowess. For the longest time, he thought he was going into some kind of arena, to fight to the death, but he wasn't being trained with weapons. Once he saw Rylii in the hallway, unscathed by the horrors on this planet, but to his amazement, the Kuati ignored him completely.

After that day, he had a bad taste in his mouth whenever he thought of him. The brat was spoiled all his life, and now, even more so on this prison world. Jonas sighed, running the sanitation device over the various freshers. When he finished he arrived to the gym where a small, old man assisted him with his work out. He was known around here as Doctor Zan, though no one could really elaborate where he truly came from. Like many things on this planet, there were whispered gossip and half-truths, but nothing ever solid.

One thing was for certain, and that was this world belonged to Commander Krauss. Statues and even holo-projections of herself were everywhere. It seems that she took leave of the planet when the Grand Admiral returned to the Old Galaxy.

When his work out was completed, he was given large meals, no doubt filled with protein, and forced to rest for the remaining part of his day. His evening thoughts would revolve around Lucas, then to Rylii, and finally to Cade. All three of these men meant something to him, but the one that he truly missed, was the one he met on Iego. In the vast distance between them, he hoped he was all right. Did he make it off Bespin? What was he doing now?

Jonas rolled while pulling the covers over his body. It was best not to remember that life.

Two months had passed since saving Eisley's life. They would cross paths here and there, but it came down to this final moment. Rylii was standing with nothing but a silk sheet of Naboo or gungan silk, it was hard to tell really, draped over his lower region. A pair of battle droids were standing at the bed, they were always there, with another two at the door, not to mention another dozen hidden and cameoflaged throughout the room. A song was playing, Ann Berlin's latest track no doubt, which was a curious thing, considering they were so far from the Galactic Core. In a trance of the music, the doors hissed open, and in entered his comrade.

His body was thick, built and conditioned as though he had been bred for the warrior caste on Geonosis, but here, he would serve a different purpose. Rylii approached him slowly, eyeing him as he did, and then placed his fingers on Eisley's shoulder before tracing his biceps down, skipping over to the stomach. In and out of the grooves of his abs his index finger danced, until he reached the stash that was covering his lower body. Rylii looked back up, slightly flushed from the excitement.

"Jonas," Rylii whispered, "I spared your life, but it came at a terrible price."

Jonas' blank stare made him nervous.

"Jonas," Rylii whispered softer, "You've been training for a single purpose. Endurance." Rylii reached over, putting his arm over Jonas' shoulder and walked to him towards the door leading back into the bed chamber. "Eriga Nu's current commander is a sexual fiend...." Rylii twisted his shoulder and numerous scratches which had been imprinted fresh, and older, scars. "Call her beautiful. Call her sweet things. Let her be the animal."

"Why?" Jonas asked a fair question. "Why should I do this?"

"Hope. Hope that rescue comes. Hope that the war ends, and this place is liberated. Hope that we can go home."

"Home to what?" Jonas hissed, "It's over, it's all over."

Rylii pulled him aside, eyeing the droids nervously. They were likely recording everything. "Jonas, do this for me. Please. If we aren't rescued in a month, I'll end it. End both of us." Rylii grabbed his hands, caressing them. "Please."

Jonas looked away, then to the door leading to the bed, and away again. He thought for a moment, and then nodded slowly. He approached the door, tapped the entrance keypad and stepped inside. Just before the door snapped shut, the small piece of fabric covering what flesh was left, dropped to the floor. Rylii bowed his head and returned to his own quarters.

As he entered, he kept slamming his fist into the entry wall, so many times until he broke every finger in his body... it still wasn't enough pain to drive the images out of his head. He collapsed, sobbing for Kuat, sobbing for his frakked up family...sobbing for Lucas...sobbing for Lumiya.

It made the Galactic Empire's prison worlds seem like vacation destinations. The refractive shielding and hull on his vessel, coupled with command and sensor codes of the facility made his landing possible and completely unnoticed. The Spirit of the Maw landed with a thud, the controls going green with success. The job would've been much easier had it not been for the death of his criminal crew. He had spent weeks tracking and finding the best of the lot, only to have them succumb to the treachery waiting for him on the Ssi-Ruuk homeworld. It appeared someone in Lumiya's camp had wanted him dead, perhaps seeking to earn her favor. Barely escaping with his own life, he turned his back on the known galaxy, and jumped to the hyperspace coordinates he had managed to retrieve.

The ship landed on the outskirts, the atmosphere readings were bad, but not entirely terrible. He opened a crate and retrieved a tactical life-support kit. After putting on the chest, his leggings, and boots, he was mildly reminded of his childhood holorecordings of the late Darth Vader. The Dark Lord had become the prime example under the tutelage of his new master, as his dedication had been pure up to the end. Vader's service to his Master went wildly unquestioned at times, but it had paid off tremendously. His power and control over the Force was still instructed at the academy, albeit with caution.

Lucas checked his ship's readings one last time. It wasn't a mystery why anyone who had been sentenced to this world was as good as dead. Without proper inoculations, the radiation levels would kill even the most durable species in ten years time. The air level was incredibly toxic with the prison's mining operations, operations that were typically only reserved for droids. He fastened his lightsaber to his belt, before snapping a breathing apparatus across his face. It had a Kuati cultural affinity to it, an ancient Lord from the dawn of the Old Republic's first days.

Taking a deep breath, he clicked his wrist, signalling his ship to open the bay doors, the ramp descending and touching the rough gravel. He stepped onto the planet, gazing down at his target. The yard was filled with small dots of prisoners, spotlights scanning over them, but otherwise, they were draped in darkness with only faint twin moonlights to reveal them. Guard towers were scattered, with eight main, taller towers screening the skies. The seventh had been damaged, which had allowed Lucas to descend during a blindspot that had been created every eight and half hours. His ship had nine hours before planetary scouts would find him.

It meant he only had one shot at this. He threw his left leg over a hovercraft. It rumbled under him as he switched the ignition. He touched his breathing apparatus and it transformed, until his entire head was covered. With a twist of the wrist, the hoverbike sped off.

The elegant landing of the Imperial shuttle could never be understated, despite whatever her government said about the Republic's own luxury shuttle lines. The T-4a Lambda class was a smooth, incredibly fast, ship, and she had a feeling she was going to miss it when she returned home. Alisson was at the controls, her head turned slightly to take in the ship next to them. "Lucas has landed." What she said was obvious, and the bothan next to them sneered, but a quick look by Coral stopped whatever he was about to say.

"According to my calculations.... we have seven hours, thirty-six minutes and forty-eight seconds until the patrol vessels are able to detect us. The defensive field generated by the construction drills will have moved, and their distortions will no longer shield our ships. Fink's access codes will get us into the prison, but how we are going to get everyone out..." Alisson trailed off, looking to the Bothan.

"Leave that to me." He said calmly. "The Bothan people are more than capable, and you are in good fortune, for I am a better than the average Bothan."

"For all our sake, I sure hope so." Coral said, "According to the atmospheric readings, this planet is...harsh to say the least. We can survive without gear, but it might slow us down. You don't have any problems wearing an apparatus, Bothan?"

He scratched the fur around his mouth, "I'll live."

"Suit yourself. Alisson..."

"I'll survive." She responded slowly, "Suit up Coral, I'll prepare our speeder. It seats two, but with some modifications, I think I can get us all on there."

Coral nodded and moved to the cargo hold. It was large, suited with a variety of materials and supplies. Fink had been on a long-term mission, and still had plenty in his stock. She tinkered with one of the atmospheric kits, pulling off the breathing mask, and tossing the rest aside. Her skin would be dry and greatly chapped against the severity of the weather, but decided beauty wouldn't be worth the loss of mobility. She pinned two blasters against her side and ran over Fink's personal log notes of the prison.

As she walked down to the speeder, the Bothan was comically stuffed behind the twin seats, a long belt running over his body to secure him in place. "Perhaps one of us would fit better?" Coral laughed, knowing full well she would rather ride in the passenger seat.

"His body is thick enough to be wedged, so if we encounter some...quick course adjustments, he won't just fall right out." Alisson answered, her eyes taking a moment to skim over him again.

"Whatever you say, let's just moving." The Bothan's voice was calm, but years of intelligence training allowed Coral to detect the thin trace of annoyance. Coral grabbed a blaster rifle which was waiting for her, and sat into the seat. Before she had a chance to fasten the safety belt around her waist, Alisson slammed the accelerator all the way down, sending them sailing towards the True Empire's prison from hell.

Penetrating the outer security network was easier than she thought. In fact, she was surprised the speeder hadn't been detected on security networks until they were right on top of the security field. The blue energy wall was weakly enforced - they could walk straight through the barrier with only mild electric irritation. Alisson looked at Coral, who seemed to be equally shocked. "What are you thinking?" Coral asked her, and Alisson allowed her cybernetic brain to weigh the various scenarios.

The Bothan was the first to speak in relation to the question. "If you escape... it is certain death. I've detected little to no biological lifeforms, plant or animal based. Water is thousands of kilometers below the surface... the prison... is the only source of nutrition. The field, might represent a psychological barrier, anything more than that would be a complete and total waste of energy."

"What would prevent the prison from being raided?" Coral asked, and at the moment, their speeder was about to be intercepted by two guard vehicles. They were still a minute away, making their conversation's pace rather quick.

"That's a good question." Alisson answered, even the most likely scenario wouldn't make much logical sense. "I'd like to take the prison commander captive. He or she might have valuable intel on the rest of the new found space of the True Empire. Perhaps tactical locations that could be used by our governments back home, and turn this war around."

The Bothan laughed, "Ladies, you are assuming we will be able to escape this hell." The security speeders stopped, the guards emerging with their weapons drawn. Coral stepped out, she was the best choice, as her face was mostly hidden by her breathing apparatus. Alisson could not hear much of what was said, but the guard nodded and Coral took her seat.

"Follow them." She said, "We've been cleared for entry, and guys, the Warden is expecting us."

The Warden's Command Center was brighten only by a blood red hue, the controls of her technicians' consoles sparkled with a lightning blue, but only sporadically. Jonas was in the room, his body tense from the energy coming off the older woman. Her eyes were glued to a view screen, as guards escorted three individuals. A man known as Tobias was also in the room, his gray hair and wrinkled skin proof of the toxic, and incredibly hostile environment. He had aged thirty years in a fraction of the time. He was a recent arrival, and had provided the Warden with news of the invasion. To her greatest disappointment, she was not being relieved of duty, and that made her all the more dangerous.

Jonas flexed his muscles when the Warden tossed him a glance, her eyes stopped for a second, a twinge of a smile twinkled across her lips, before she returned to the security console. "Get Kuat. Tell him to meet our guests, and escort them to me. I want this room full of guards. I have a bad feeling about this." Her voice had an actual serious, commanding tone. In the months he had known her, she had always been slow, sexual, and at times, downright bored, if she wasn't banthashit crazy.

"Kuat is on the move. He'll be there in twenty seconds."

"Kuat, can you hear me?" The Warden whispered.

Rylii Kuat's voice rang over the comm, "Yes, Madame. I can see them now. Two women...one...."

"Kuat?! Who is the other? Is that a...Bothan?!"

The Warden leaned into the security screen. "LOCK DOWN! I want all guards at their post, and launch all the patrols. Send a message to the fleet. We are executing Protocol Alderaan." The Warden then pulled out her side arm and shot Tobias point blank, his face exploding upon impact. The energy volt continued, until everyone in the command room was dead. Jonas was frozen, his body sprayed with blood from at least three people in the room. The Warden looked at him, but glanced down at the consoles. She leaned in, keying in a command, and several explosions went off across the prison.

"What is the Protocol Alderaan supposed to do?" Jonas managed to get out, "Do you kill me now?"

The Warden looked up, her eyes wild with fire. "No, my love. You come with me. You and Kuat are all I have now." Jonas nodded, but a familiar crack and hiss interrupted his thoughts. "Who? How?" She said, her eyes looking behind him. Jonas turned, and stared into a dark figure. He was cloaked in black, with a dark, sculptured breathing apparatus, as though it had been designed to emit fear on any who looked upon him. But with months spent on Eriga Nu, nothing frightened Jonas anymore. Well that wasn't entirely true. The Warden. Still, Jonas hadn't seen a lightsaber in months, and judging by the reaction of the Warden, to her, she hadn't seen one in what must've felt like a lifetime.

"My name is Lucas Pallanén-Davad and I am a servant to the Darth Lady of the Sith, Lumiya." His voice was augmented by the breathing device. It had a cool, Kuati accent to it. Jonas stopped breathing. It was impossible. Lucas had died during the planet bombardment by the True Empire... he was dead, sunk aboard Cloud City into Bespin's core. "Define the Alderaan Protocol."

The Warden leaned against the console, taking just a moment to wipe the blood stained on her hands to her leggings. "You are from the Old Empire.... the Sith. Grand Admiral-"

"I don't give a shit about the Grand Admiral." The voice responded slowly. "Tell me what the Alderaan Protocol is."

"It's obvious enough, isn't it?" The Warden said calmly, "Everyone on this planet will die. I am duty bound. Like a Captain to her ship."

"But, you're not, are you?" The Sith agent responded, "You are about to elope with Eisley and Kuat. Why? Have you taken them to your bedroom?"

"Slept with a prisoner? That's foul." The Warden spat. "I'll kill him now, but I need someone to pilot the shuttle."

"Why leave?" The Dark agent moved across the room, his red lightsaber humming in the distance between them. His hand reached out and the Warden began gasping for her throat. "Tell me about the Protocol."

"Eriga Nu." She said softly, between the gasps for air.

"Pardon?"

"Eriga Nu." She continued. "In an alien language it means, "Hell Reborn" - many believe it is a planet, but in fact, its a site name. Whenever an outsider discovers its location, the entire prison population is eradicated. It's the most effective way to prevent escapees. Instead of figuring out and stopping one criminal from escaping, the entire population is slaughtered."

"Including the guards?" The dark agent asked, a curious tone in his subterfuge.

"Including the guards. The planet is spared, and when the Empire regains control, a new prison population arrives to take their place, and mining operations are restored. It's the perfect solution. Since Commander Krauss, we have initiated the Alderaan Protocol seven times. In total, 1.6 million lives have been erased. As we speak, the main computer is alerting the fleet. Once the command code is keyed in from this Sector's Defense Fleet Admiral, everyone with a microchip will die."

The Warden smiled, "Precisely. But there isn't enough time. You won't make it now. Our conversation has dwindled the last chance, any hope of sparing these prisoners of war." She paused, taking a vial from her pocket, "But if you have the time, Lucas, agent of Lumiya..." She removed the cap and put on a small layer of red lipstick. "Perhaps, the Force is strong with you."

Jonas sprang forth from his spot, wrapping his hands around the Warden's throat. Her eyes bulged in the surprise as she reached for her blaster, but with an invisible whoosh, the blaster was pushed aside. Jonas kneed her stomach, kicking out her ankles, until they both snapped. As they dropped to the ground, the last remnants of her life were squeezed out by his own hands, until her tongue fell, hanging from her open mouth. Jonas still held onto her until a hand touched his shoulder. He held it for a second, then rose to greet the masked agent of the Sith.

Just as Lucas would reveal himself, the doors opened. Alisson, Rylii, Coral, and an unknown Bothan stood in the doorway. Alisson looked at Jonas, and then to the masked figure. Her eyes watered. "Lucas?"

Coral moved to the control panel. She scanned over the prison controls and then released everyone from their cells. They all watched on the holomonitors as the remaining guards struggled to regain control, but there were too many of them... it was over quick. Lucas spoke, "Get them into hyperspace, quickly. Coral, if you can, you're going to have to jam Eriga Nu's communication system. In about five minutes, a command code will be received and everyone here will die."

Rylii came forward slowly. "Lucas?"

"Rylii." Lucas said, pushing the side of his breathing apparatus, causing it to collapse so that it revealed his whole face, except his mouth. Jonas felt his own eyes water, but his mind was still full of confusion. He really was alive. "Under Lumiya, I have learned of the mind games... you tricked us both....Jonas and I, into loving you. You corrupted us. You were the cause of the rift. You were the cause of the confusion. You distanced me from Anakin Solo, you destroyed my relationship with him... with my friends... You ruined everything!"

"Lucas, I know... I was following orders. Surely you can respect that now. You are working for her, yes?" Rylii said, dropping to his knees. "Lucas, please. Get me out of here. We can be together and atLumiya's side."

Jonas breathed, "Rylii!"

Lucas took a step forward, his arms extending to embrace the fellow Kuati. Rylii rose and fell into his arms, he sobbed into Lucas' shoulder, before wiping his tears and pulling away. As he did, Jonas realized why the man had been crying. The red lightsaber was protruding from his stomach. Lucas reached around the hilt, and tugged on it, pulling it all the way through Rylii, until he fell over, in half.

Coral let out a small scream, as Alisson stepped over the body and grabbed Lucas by his shoulders. "Lucas! You have murdered a fellow Royal... Not even your mother would approve-" Lucas twisted the lowered lightsaber, bringing it up and across Alisson's neckline. Her head rolled across the command deck. Jonas screamed out, his hands hitting his head as he collapsed to the ground. Why was he doing this?!

"LUCAS!" Coral shouted, "NO!"

Lucas spun and struck the Bothan before he managed to get his blast off, but failed, as the blaster shot upwards and struck Coral in the arm. Lucas reached out, grabbing Coral in midair. At first Jonas thought he was trying to save her from the fall, but his stare seemed to reveal he had other intentions. Coral's face struggled, but courage spread across her cheeks. "Kill me, but know that I do not fear you."

Lucas shook his head. "You will jam communications. Take Alisson's body back to my father. She will be repaired and synced to the day she left with you on your journey. The Bothan had thoughts of betraying you both, he was going to kill you on the shuttle home - bringing information solely for his precious Spynet Agency." Lucas spoke gently, falling to his knees to Alisson's head. He used the Force to collect a brief case from across the room, and put her head inside of it. "Jonas, she was Human Replica Droid. She cannot know I killed Rylii...that information could dethrone my family, and throw my world into chaos. And that is the last thing the Imperial Remnant needs right now. Besides, Rylii deserved to die... because of everything he has done to me...to us."

Jonas couldn't breathe, he was so overwhelmed with emotion. He started to hyperventilate. He tried to calm himself, but couldn't. The Warden was dead. Eriga Nu was no more. Rylii was dead. Alisson was dead. Lucas was alive, but served darkness. Where was Tseneca? Where was the rest of Blight Leaper crew? Nothing made any sense. Jonas rose, taking a seat at the security console. Coral was busy trying to jam communications, while Lucas cleaned his lightsaber from the blood. When he finished, Lucas hit the side of his breathing apparatus and his Kuati mask engulfed him. That's when Jonas realized. The love of his life wasn't there any more, instead, the true nature of the man that was once Lucas was before him.

"You were wrong about one thing, Sith." Jonas said softly. "You're not Lucas Pallanén-Davad, at least not any more. He's dead." Jonas keyed his microchip code into the security console, and felt a surge through his body....

"NO!" Coral shouted, falling from her chair, and stopping above Jonas Eisley's body. "Damn it, Lucas! All of this was for him... for the rest of them..." Coral wanted to shout, but her emotions stopped her. She returned to the communications array, and by some frakking miracle, she managed to jam all incoming communications. At least, for now. She unlocked the main hangar bay and grabbed the prison-wide microphone. "Attention prisoners. I am a Rebel..." She paused, she meant to say Republic agent, but I guess in the end, they were all rebels. "I am transmitting hyperspace coordinates for Tatooine. Good luck to you all, and May the Force be with you."

Coral took her blaster, it all seemed so irrelevant now any ways, and pointed it at the dark figure cradling Jonas in his arms. "DO IT" He commanded, "Do it, Coral!" Coral's finger closed in around the trigger, she was one of the best shots in the Intelligence community... but still, she waited. It made sense to do it. Hell, logically, all Sith were nothing, but bad news.

"Damn it Lucas, frakking damn it!" Coral cried, unable to compartmentalize this one. Lucas reached out to her, she felt the Force tighten around her neck, snuffing the air from her lungs, and her throat collapsing around her. He used the Force again to grab one of the blasters and crunch it into a small ball. The other he dangled in the air, just out of her reach. But slowly, the blaster moved through the air, until it was just in front of Lucas's temple. "No, don't it. Frak it Lucas, frak!"

"Tell me why I shouldn't. I came all this way, spent months planning for this... all so he could do this to me?!" Lucas shouted, his voice bellowing off the confines of the command center. "Coral, do it. Kill me. Do you know what I've become? Your government will pin medals to your chest for doing it. Shoot me."

Coral shook her head. "No. Come with me. Come with me to Tseneca. She needs you right now."

Coral breathed, unsure how to proceed. Leaving him alive was too dangerous. The fate of the galaxy could hang in this moment. Her actions right now, could determine if thousands, perhaps even millions or billions of lives would be affected by this pupil of the darkside. "Lucas. I cannot."

Lucas sobbed hard, his whole body shaking, until it turned into a fit of laughter. "You are weak Coral Callatros. You are truly rebel scum." The blaster twisted in midair, flying across the room and rang off six shots. Coral's reflexes would impress the lights of that worthy of Boba Fett, as she rolled, her foot extending to punch the exit key pad. The doors hissed open and she dodged out of the door.

She waited, and called into the room. "Lucas... Lucas! You wanted me to return Alisson, right? Right?!" She wasn't really good at these situations. Without the Force and any kind of human intuition, she was actually quite terrible at diplomacy. She was better with forensics and holo-slicing.

"I'll do it myself." Lucas called back, his voice sounded almost normal now. Suddenly a holo-table came into the room, with several security droids following it. Lucas motioned to them, and from what Coral could see from around the corner, they were collecting Alisson's parts. The briefcase bag sat at the end of the table. Coral managed to catch Lucas giving Jonas one final moment, a kiss, before stepping in front of the holo-table.

"Bring her to my ship. I have one other target here before we leave."

"By your command." The droids stated.

How did he manage that? Those droids were fiercely loyal to the True Empire, and even in the command center, their programming was lightyears ahead of being reprogrammed in the matter of seconds. As if on cue, but in retrospect, likely due to telepathy attributed to Sith abilities, Lucas answered. "Oh yes, I am not an entirely uninvited guest. As impressive as Kuat Drive Yards' stealth technology is, I am an invited guest of Commander Krauss. Her access codes and familiarity with this prison allowed me land unnoticed. Your shuttle, Fink's old piece of junk, would've set off every alarm here. But it was I who stopped the sector patrols from questioning you at every point along the way."

Lucas stepped into the hallway, turning to look at Coral directly. "You managed to get a glimpse of the final weakness leaving my body, Agent Callatros. Revel in it." He paused, "I should kill you here and now, but since you spared my life, consider us even." He walked past her and around the corner, his footsteps echoing until she could no longer hear him.

Lucas could feel Lumiya's presence with him. She was meditating across the galaxy, sending her strength and guidance. The Darkside was strong, it was powerful, and it would prevail over the ocean of emotions beneath his skin. His heart ached, his soul vanquished, but he was coerced to move on. A few of the prisoners approached him, but they got a little too close for comfort, and he used his lightsaber to decapitate them. At last he found prisoner cell block Omega-3 and Lucas stepped inside to find a small woman. Her buzzed head, and frail appearance made her old Kuati prison days look comfortable, paradise even.

"Lucas?" A parched voice answered, "Is that you?"

"No." Lucas answered, honestly. He thought about this, and with his master's long-distanced blessing, he answered, "I am Darth Solus."

"A Darth?" The voice answered. "Leave me here."

"Nico, we don't have time for your political games. Come with me. If you decide not to serve my master, I will release you to your own endeavors."

Vera Nico stared at him. Her eyes were vulnerable, perhaps for the first time in many years. She stood up, but her body was frail and broken. Lucas felt two prisoners nearby, and reached out to them through the Force. The benefit of a place like Eriga Nu, was that they were all weak-minded. The True Empire had battered their souls into submission. When they arrived, they bowed before him.

"Carry her. Shield her with your own life, if you must... bring her to my ship." Lucas commanded, and they obeyed.

Nico looked at him again, "Lucas."

"Do not use that name again, Nico. I am Darth Solus now, and my legacy begins here."

Coral approached the fallen body of Jonas Eisley. She reached for a communicator, only to realize that there would be no one on the other end of it. She began to download the database of Eriga Nu, a process that would take several minutes. It allowed her to reflect on the events that had passed. Lucas had revealed that the Bothan would betray them - and if that were true, maybe the Bothans weren't on the right side of the war. Were they working against the Republic? Coral sighed, that was too big a problem to tackle, especially if Lucas was hell-bent on creating his new identity.... another problem for the galaxy. Sith were notorious to act on a galactic stage, and their agenda was rarely charity based.

"Great." Coral said outloud, watching the security feeds. "When did Vera Nico show up here?" She recalled the data records. She arrived twenty days ago... apparently her shipped was picked up a few parsecs from here, and according to the Warden's logs, she was actually coming to liberate everyone here. "Typical Nico." As the data continued to download, she watched as Lucas and Nico, now carried by two thugs, slipped out of the prison and made their way towards a Kuati craft on the edge of security grid. "All right, Lucas, now how the hell am I going to get out of here."

If she could help it, she was going to avoid taking Fink's shuttle as it was going to be easily tracked, so she was going to need new transportation. Scanning the security feeds, she found a familiar face. A few of them, actually. Jonathan Ferris, Joshua Holloway, Huey Garza, and Shen Velez. They were boarding the Warden's personal craft, if she hurried, she could make it... Just as she rose, collecting the last of the data download, Jonas Eisley sucked in a large amount of air. His body jerked and he vomited across the ground.

"What the frak!" Coral said, and her eyes began to pour again. "You're alive?"

"What? Who are you? Where am I?" Jonas said, kicking away from her as she approached him.

"Jonas... it's me, Coral. Relax." She said softly. "What the hell..."

"No, no. I am...I am..." A strained look came across his face. "I don't know who I am."

Coral opened her mouth to think, but something flashed across the security monitors. "Frak. Imperials!" She activated the automated defense screen. It wouldn't destroy the ship in orbit, but it would give them enough hell to allow those escaping a chance. "Jonas. Your name is Jonas, and for a moment, I thought you were dead. We all did... You did something to the console, and you fell.."

She eyed the console, and managed to get a glance at the Warden's ship. It was gone, and judging by the system's sensor net, it had just gone to hyperspace. They made it. Jonas moved closer to her, pulling her and pushing her away from the console, pulling a blaster from one of the dead bodies on the ground. She was now staring down the barrel, with a memory-hazed triggerfinger close to firing. "What did you do to me? Why have I forgotten everything? My head... it hurts."

"Jonas, we have to leave. There is a ship in orbit and once they destroy the planetary defense - or worse, override them- we are done for. And if you want to take a look around, this isn't exactly the planet I was planning to spend my retirement on." Jonas looked over the security screens. "You're going to need someone to pilot a shuttle, and that will give you some time to think. You can keep that blaster on me, but do it on the move."

After a long pause, Jonas nodded.

* * *

Just as the planetary defenses switched off, Fink's shuttle slipped into hyperspace. On the way to the shuttle, they picked up some more prisoners, but like Jonas, Coral wasn't willing to take any chances, and sealed them in the hanger. Jonas relaxed the blaster, "All right, you can start talking now.... Who am I?"